Who is Zach Metzger? Minneapolis pro-Palestine protest organizer faces backlash for allegedly playing victim card after drone video goes viral

A pro-Palestine supporter from Minneapolis named Zach Metzger came under fire recently for allegedly playing the "victim card" after an altercation at a protest. On the afternoon of Sunday, October 22, Metzger led a pro-Palestine peaceful protest in the city.

Zach, who is also a city council candidate, claimed that an elderly man allegedly attacked the crowd of protestors with a knife by getting down from his car and later drove through the crowd, as people from the protest chased after him and asked him to “wait” and “stop the car.” To back up his claims, he shared a short clipping of the man exiting his vehicle with a sharp weapon in hand.

However, a contesting drone video claims that the elderly man seated inside his car was allegedly surrounded by pro-Palestine protestors, unable to move his vehicle through the street. Later, he was prompted to pull out a knife, thus escalating the situation.

The drone video has since gone viral, and netizens have come in defense of the elderly man and called out Zach Metzger for playing the "victim card".

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All you need to know about Zach Metzger

According to his official website zachforthepeople.com, Zach Metzger is a Minneapolis City Council Ward 13 candidate whose motto is “Here to be the change you want.” He is a 4th generation Ward 13 resident of the city and identifies himself as “a lifelong South-sider.”

A part of his campaign includes visions of affordable housing, public safety, conservation of green spaces, and expanding social protection of the residents of Minneapolis’ Ward 13.

He is a protestor and organizer of the civil rights movement, popular for bringing about Minneapolis’ reform policy named “The Beyond Bullying Bill” which ensures that schools are free of bullying and safe learning environments despite the race, religion, sexuality, and gender of the students.

In the wake of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, he has also been a prominent pro-Palestine protestor.

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“An obvious coward”: Zach Metzger earns backlash from netizens for claiming elderly man attacked protestors first

Zach Metzger has now been identified as one of the protestors of a pro-Palestine march organized in Minneapolis recently, who allegedly harassed an elderly man. The man was trying to drive through the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge and Lyndale Avenue intersection where the protest was being held. He reportedly found himself swarmed by the protestors, who were allegedly blocking traffic.

Unable to move his car, as per drone footage, he was seen exiting his car with a knife. However, as per Zach Metzger’s claim, the situation was the other way around, and it was the elderly man who attacked them first.

As soon as the conflicting accounts of the event came to the forefront, Metzger found himself embroiled in controversy. Netizens accused him of lying, claiming victimization, and organizing a protest with missing ethical boundaries.

So far, the elderly man has not been identified. However, Zach Metzger has stood by his claims despite the backlash and even claimed that he received hate e-mails, death threats, and attacks on his advocacy for justice.

Meanwhile, as per Fox 9, police are now investigating the matter but have confirmed that there were no injuries. However, they also stated how shots were fired, which the protestors claimed came from ATV backfire.